Key Concepts

Understanding the terminology used in DashVERSE dashboards helps you interpret the quality metrics and assessment results effectively.

D

Dimension

A high-level quality aspect of research software. Dimensions are the broadest category in the EVERSE quality framework and group related quality concerns together.

Examples Testing Documentation Licensing Version Control FAIRness
I

Indicator

A specific, measurable quality criterion within a dimension. Each indicator defines what aspect of quality is being measured and how it can be evaluated.

Examples Unit test coverage README exists License file present
A

Assessment

A complete quality evaluation of a software project performed at a specific point in time. It captures which software was assessed, when, and by what tools.

Contains Software info Date Multiple checks
C

Check

A single test result within an assessment. It represents the outcome of evaluating one indicator for a specific software project.

Status Pass, Fail, or NotApplicable
Tool Software that ran the check
Output Details and evidence

How They Relate

Quality Framework
Dimension e.g., Documentation
contains many
Indicator e.g., README exists
Evaluation Results
Assessment e.g., Project X on Jan 15
contains many
Check e.g., README: Pass

When you run a quality assessment on your software, the assessment produces multiple checks. Each check tests one indicator (like "README exists") and returns a status (Pass/Fail). Indicators are organized into dimensions (like "Documentation") to help you understand which areas of quality need attention.

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